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Teens

Youth ages 13–18 are invited to join us for an intensive one-day fiber workshop that includes a tour of the exhibition Fiber: Sculpture 1960–present, a free pizza lunch, snacks, and a reception for families at 3:30 PM.

Upcoming Events

Programs for Teens

WexLabs for Teens

These day-long, fast-paced programs incorporate interactive studio workshops and discussions with practicing professional artists who work across disciplines and often use new technologies in addition to traditional art forms. WexLab workshops are kept small, to allow for a lot of one-on-one mentoring.

Ohio Shorts: Youth Division

Each spring, we give Ohio’s younger (18 and under) independent media artists a chance to have their work presented publicly in the professional setting of our Film/Video Theater. This annual competition and juried showcase encourages young filmmakers to produce strong work and expands the general public’s appreciation for teens’ artistic vision.

Teen Outreach & Engagement

The Wexner Center’s Education staff works in substantive and sustained partnerships with a variety of community organizations that focus (either in part or as a whole) on the needs of teens. We work with a wide variety of youth-driven organizations and social service agencies near our location such as Godman Guild, Short Stop, and Boys and Girls Club among others. Outreach programs include the annual Other Prom, an alternative prom event for LGBTQ youth and their allies, offered in partnership with Kaleidoscope Youth Center, and Flip the Script: REBEL, a youth empowerment event in partnership with Huckleberry House and a number of other youth organizations. These partnerships help to ensure that teens from all segments of our community are fully aware of and engaged in our programs. During the summer of 2013, the Wexner Center spearheaded the Weinland Park Story Book Project, a community-driven graphic anthology/book project depicting the stories and perspectives of the residents of this rapidly changing neighborhood near Ohio State's campus, incorporating a wide range of youth perspectives.

Surge Columbus: A Creative Circuit for Youth

Columbus is truly a smart, supportive city and five of our cultural institutions want to join forces to ensure teenagers know how to take advantage of that! Surge Columbus is a collaborative of museums, libraries, and media organizations in Columbus, Ohio empowering teens to discover and pursue their learning interests outside of school by connecting them with mentors, digital and cultural resources, and each other. Surge includes the Wexner Center for the Arts, the Columbus Metropolitan Library, COSI, WOSU, and the Columbus Museum of Art. Complete information and a list of upcoming collaborative programs for teens can be found at surgecolumbus.org.

Art & Environment: A Course for High School Students

Do you have a student who is eco-conscious and interested in contemporary art? Will they be in 11th or 12th grade in fall 2015? Here’s his or her chance to learn about the intersections of art and environmental issues at Ohio State while earning high school credit through your school. Blending extensive online course work and diverse field trip excursions, this course also gives students the opportunity to exhibit their environmentally informed art at the Wexner Center. The course meets most Wednesdays, 3–5 PM during the first half of the school year and it’s free, with supplies and transportation assistance provided. The application deadline is May 1, 2015. Find applications and more information at wexartenvironment.wordpress.com. In-school presentations about the program are available during the school year for groups of interested students.

Programs for Teens

Teens and contemporary art are naturally on the same page because both are actively challenging boundaries, exploring identity, and grappling with the tough questions no one else has the courage to ask.

"The DIY summer design program at the Wexner Center helped me find my creativity again."
– a participant in the DIY (Design Intensive for Youth) Collective

"If I could rewind and do all of my Pages experiences from this year again, I would."
– Halima Abdullahi, a high school student and participant in the Pages literacy program at the Wex

Check out this page often for upcoming classes, workshops, and projects by and for teens.

Contact

For more information on programs for teens, please call the education info line at (614) 292-6493 or send an email to edweb@wexarts.org.